With 2008 coming to close, it’s time for my annual fitness year in review. Unfortunately, it appears as though the fitness industry as a whole has again failed to produce any significant results on a broad scale to effectively reverse the scary obesity epidemic that is plaguing our society. American adults keep getting fatter, more lethargic, and less healthy. Sadly, this trend has also caused the unabated deterioration in the health and fitness of our youth population. However, on a positive note, I feel that 2009 will be host to several growing fitness trends that will provide the long-term answers to solve this ever-growing problem:
Fitness Trend #1- Fitness Boot Camps Will Rise, One-On-One Personal Training Will Fall
Fitness Boot camps are probably the hottest thing in the fitness game right now, especially in the light of the current economic recession. The group training business model creates the ultimate win-win for trainers and clients making the one-on-one alternative obsolete. Fitness trainers get to better leverage their time and maximize profits by working with an unlimited number of clients per hour. Fitness clients are able to better access personal training services in a unique and dynamic team environment that provides better social support and accountability for only a the third of the cost of typical one-on-one training rates.
Fitness Trend #2- Interval Training Destroys Aerobic Training For Improved Fat Loss And Fitness 100% Of The Time
Look to see long, slow, and boring cardio exercises to become a thing of the past. High-Intensity Interval Training is rapidly gaining popularity as the best form of improving both fitness and fat loss. With interval training, the focus is on the intensity of exercise (quality). Intervals consist of alternating between shorts bouts of all out high-intensity effort and active recovery periods for a much quicker and focused amount of time (typically 10-20 minutes of intervals works best). This allows you to get better results in less time. This approach is scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat AND lead to faster improvements in fitness than the aerobic alternative.
Fitness Trend#3- Lean Protein And Fiber Are The Carbohydrate Addict’s Answer For Improved Health, Performance, and Body Composition
The overwhelming scientific literature proving the fat burning benefits of a diet high in lean protein and fiber is finally catching the eye of mainstream consumers. Protein is the most important component of each and every meal or snack you consume. It builds and maintains muscle, allows your body to preferentially burn fat, increases metabolism through the thermic effect of feeding, and fills you up. Fiber (ideally obtained from fruits and vegetables, specifically green vegetables) helps slow digestion for a more steady supply of nutrients and sustained energy, it prevents overeating at each meal, and it helps keep you more full between meals. Thus by combining protein and fiber every two to four hours, you provide your body with the optimal one-two belly fat burning punch for a leaner, healthier you.
Nate Miracle, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, is a local Clevland boot camp instructor and real world fat loss expert. To book him/her to speak at your local Cleveland company, club, or organization please contact him by email at info@clevelandfitnessbootcamp.com or by phone at (216) 832-9212. For a free 1-week trial to his Cleveland location boot camp to experience the best personal training in Cleveland, please visit http://www.ClevelandFitnessBootCamp.com
